Alert: Adorable Baby Hat!!!

This is the Children's Cotton Hat from Last Minute Knitted Gifts and is going to Ella, the brand new baby of a friend of Jason's. Seeing as this is only my second attempt to make an item using dpns I would say that it is spectacular! Of course there are a few imperfections, but laddering was kept to a minimum. Hooray!

I used size 8 dpns (b/c I unlike some people can admit that I knit tightly) and 1 skein of Mission Falls 1824 Cotton in 805 Lemongrass. This yarn just happens to be the featured yarn this month at my fabulous LYS, Hanging By a Thread, so I got a very cute baby gift for $4!!! I am definitely going to go back and get some more of this while they are running the sale! It is so soft, comes in about 20 different colors, and 1 skein will make a baby, toddler, or child sized hat in this pattern.

Some Exciting News & Some Not So Exciting News

Exciting News: Maria and I are excited and happy to be travelling to her favorite city this Saturday to see our favorite dishcloth knitter, none other than ANN SHAYNE! (Oh I really can't express to you how excited we are.) I am in fact so excited that no words spring forth in order for me to express just how excited I feel.

Not So Exciting News: I made myself a very detailed timeline so that I would feel confident that I could get everything completed for Christmas in time. I then decided that I didn't want to have to work under those conditions so I am just going to get what I can completed. If you are expecting a present from me, don't fret, I will get to it eventually. (I am not thinking of it as giving presents late, more like making the holidays last a little bit longer.)

I have also had to choose some different items to give to some individuals (three!) due to the fact that 3 x 75 does not equal 256. I don't know how I ever thought that it did, but due to this error I am somewhat short on yarn yardage. One situation has been rectified by choosing another project and already completing it*. One will be ok because I had a little more than 3 skeins, so it will just be a little smaller. One I am going to have to start all over from scratch. Ugh. This is very disheartening b/c the receiver really would have liked what I was going to make.

I guess I am off to search for patterns and see what I can make with 225 yards of worsted weight yarn that is not a dishcloth.

*Pictures to come soon as my camera took a vacation to New Orleans and has not yet come back home.

SP 9 Questionnaire

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I am not really picky in the sense that I won't use acrylic yarn b/c I will, but I have a hard time seeing with fun fur and really frou frou novelty yarns. I'd really like to try Koigu since everybody raves about it so!

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
I have a quilted little roll up case for my straight needles, I have a Denise circular kit so those are in the case that they came in, and my crochet hooks are in an Ashland Sky Hook Sac.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I have been knitting for a little less than a year by my best estimate. I taught myself from a "I Taught Myself Knitting" kit. (Same goes for Crochet) I think that my skill level is advanced beginner to almost intermediate! :-)

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Yes, I have an amazon wish list.

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products, etc.)
I love just about everything except coconut and pear. My favorites are vanilla , raspberry, and oriental florals.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
YES! I love chocolate. ANY KIND.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I don't spin, and I keep a scrapbook on and off. I am trying to learn to hand sew, but just for small projects like seaming, etc.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I like pop, country, and rock. I don't really like rap and R&B. I imagine that my computer will play MP3's but I've never tried it.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
I love PINK! Orange doesn't really look good on me, but if it's not something that I will be wearing, then I like it too. I don't really have a color that I don't like.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I am single, without pets.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
Yes, all of the above.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
I have really only knit a limited number of items (dishcloths, scarves), but I am looking forward to branching out soon to sweaters/tops and felted purses.

13. What are you knitting right now?
Lots of things! I am working on Christmas presents mostly.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Of course!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
Straight, and I don't have a preference between bamboo, aluminum and plastic. I use aluminum the most, but I like them all.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
I have a yarn winder, but no swift. I don't really know if I need a swift to be honest.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
Baby poncho with some terrible novelty yarn that is hard to work with and makes my hands feel yucky so it has been sitting around for about 8 or 9 months now.

18. What is your favorite holiday?
Christmas

19. Is there anything that you collect?
I love stuffed Lambs!

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
There are tons of books that i want but mostly I have been coveting "Sexy Little Knits." I have subscriptions to Creative Knitting, Crochet!, and Knit Simple.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
Even though I don't really WANT to, I need to learn how to do intarsia. eek.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
No socks yet, therefore I have no idea what my foot measurements are.

23. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)
03/21

Blocking Practice

Since I want to one day knit myself a garment I decided that I'd better learn to block. I joined the Dishcloth Knit Along (b/c I am knitting them anyway!) so I thought that dishcloths would be the logical place to start. Different patterns can look pretty wadded up when they are completed.

I knit the Valentine Heart Cloth and made a makeshift 'blocking board' out of a craft project gone awry, a corkboard tile that I covered in some chenille fabric. I layed a paper towel over the fabric so that if any dye wanted to be exchanged in the process it would not get onto the dishcloth or the corkboard (who knows, I might find a use for it one day).


This is not a perfect attempt as I did not even attempt to use a ruler, but you gotta start somewhere. My goal is to get one of those little boards with the lines on it that people use to cut out sewing patterns. Maybe I'd better learn what they are called before I go looking for one, as cardboard board with the lines on it is not exactly the correct terminology. :-)

Getting Started

I love to go home and see packages of yarn on my doorstep. You can surely imagine my delight when I went home today and this was waiting on me.

This is Noro Silk Garden and the color is pink/brown 251. I hope that it will one day be my Clapotis.

I also ordered some Noro Kureyon for the Booga J Bag and some Nature Cotton in lavendar for a tank that I saw in the Spring/Summer issue of Knit Simple but that was all on backorder. It's not really like it matters all that much since I have so much Christmas knitting to do. I really don't need to be knitting myself anything at the moment!

I am well on my way to completing two Christmas presents. I thought that Twitterpated would be cute for my two 17 year old cousins.

I still have a little work to do on them and once I get my courage up I will "sew" up the lining and add that along with the handles. The green one is made out of almost 2 skeins of Knitpicks Shine in Green Apple, and the lilac one is made of 1 skein of Cotton Classic. The lilac one is much smaller than intended since I ran out of yarn making it. I had to sew it up using some Lion Brand cotton in a similar color, but that is too dark to use to add the handles. I don't know yet what I am going to do about that!

I found some really cute fabric over the weekend so I got enough to line the purses and anything else for Christmas that might need lining. (I don't want to give too much away. :-) )

I don't really know how to sew so this should be an experience. I found something called "stitch witchery" and I am hoping that I will only have to sew the pocket into the purse instead of having to sew the pocket and sew it into the purse.

I got a camera!

I finally bought a digital camera of my own, so now I don't have to haul all of my things over to Jason's house to photograph them. I think that this will be great for blogging! Of course there were some stray dishtowels laying around that I'd not yet photographed.

The one on the right is the mid-August KAL from the Yahoo Group, Monthly Dishcloths. I liked the color combo so much that I made a ballband dishcloth to match. (I like to make them with the varigated yarn in the background.)

I also made Jason some dishtowels since he doesn't really use dishcloths. I got a new dishcloth pattern book, Kitchen Kolors, and I LOVE IT. The dishtowel on the left is from that book and then the dishcloth on the right is a modification from the ballband dishcloth.

I got the idea from a woman on the Mason Dixon KAL, but I varied this one up a bit. She did 3 bands on each side but I liked the idea of a definite front and back, so I did 5 bands for the front and then 2 for the back. Best of all, they look cute folded up!

New Knitty = Trouble for my list

I am probably the last one to discover this but the new Knitty is up. Hooray! Bad news for me though, as it just causes me to discover more and more things that I want to knit. I think that I need to join a 12 step program for people who plan but never actually get anything accomplished. I like a lot of the patterns from this issue...drumroll please...

1. Viveka
2. Lucie
3. Cactus Flower
4. Ivy
5. Serrano
6. Twiggy Tweed
7. Back to School (My heart did a little backflip when I saw those)
8. Ayla

I like the sock patterns as well, but I am not even considering adding them to my list, b/c I am kidding no one, least of all myself. :-)

I know that some knitting patterns have been circulating around on the web for forever, but I haven't been knitting forever so a lot of them are new to me. Therefore I am geeked up to knit Clapotis and Booga Bag. At first I didn't really love Clapotis, but the more I looked at it and the more I convinced myself that I would be able to drop a YO stitch, I realized that I love it. Coupled with the fact that I work in a basement where it is about 65 degrees year round, I am going to make it. Seriously. I have the yarn picked out. (I hope that this is a suitable substitution...those of you in the know, please let me know!)

Because I was so good on my trip and didn't spend all of my trip money I was able to come back home and order yarn! I purchased all of the remaining yarn that I need in order to make the Christmas gifts for my family and friends. I am excited about this and I am hoping that it will make for some more exciting blogging. I so want to have some FOs to dazzle you with!

Niagara Falls, Part Two

More pictures!

American Falls (photographed from Canada):










American Falls (photographed from America):






















Bottom of the American Falls:











American Falls and Canadian Falls (taken on the bridge between USA and Canada):






















Canadian Falls:












Cave of the Winds (American side):






















Fancy footwear they make you wear at the Cave of the Winds:












Yep, we took a picture of the barrel (not sure if this is the actual barrel that Annie went over in or just a replica):










Jason and me at Journey Behind the Falls:

Niagara Falls, Part One

We got back from our vacation to Niagara Falls on Tuesday. Yesterday I was not up to blogging as I was feeling barely alive, but today I am back and ready! Due to the overwhelming amount of pictures that were taken by my male companion I will be telling you of my trip in installments.

Here is Part One...

My mother (making her blog debut) and me on the Maid of the Mist boat ride, sporting some fancy ponchos:













Jason and me posing for a postcard picture at Souvenir City (Mother took this one and I guess she wasn't feeling comfortable with the zoom capabilities :-) ):











Here I am hanging with some celebrities (Brad Pitt and Prince William, in case you can't tell) that I met along the way :-)




















Jason and me in front of Lake Ontario at Niagara-on-the-Lake:











They illuminate the Falls every night (I am pretty sure that these are the American Falls but I can't tell for sure):











American Falls (left) and Bridal Veil Falls (right):











Canadian Horseshoe Falls:











More pictures tomorrow!

Add it to the List

I have been looking through knitting patterns online. You know that this means that I am adding more patterns to my ever-growing list, aptly titled, "Things that I would like to make if I would ever stop making dishcloths."

I am behind on the times and therefore I must play catch-up and knit the following:
1. Panta
2. Mini Sweater (aka Boobholder)
3. Very Cherry (Seen at both Carrieoke and Knit, Anne Marie, Knit!)
4. Tubey (check out the KAL for lots of cute variations, including no stripes, which is what I would definitely be doing)

Through some of my blog stalking I have seen the following patterns that I really like. These are ones that are for purchase and they are arranged by website...b/c I am considerate like that:

GlampyreKnits
1. One Skein Wonder
2. Tubular Camisole3. Orangina
4. Bulky Mini Sweater (b/c I saw it on Knit and Tonic)

Zephyr Style
1. Glee

Thanks to Knit and Tonic (again) I found the following patterns:
1. Tulip
2. Back in Black

And last but certainly not least:
Simple Knitted Bodice

I am so ambitious! I am so ready to make something that I can wear, other than a scarf, or if I were to get creative, a dishcloth. I am probably really crazy to be this ambitious and it is likely to be my knitting and crochet downfall, but, alas, I must try.

5 Things

I found this fun meme on another blog so I thought that I'd play along too! Pictures of knitting coming soon I promise!!!

5 Things in my freezer:
1. ice cream------i am a weak woman
2. chicken
3. broccoli
4. ice trays
5. ground beef

5 Things in my closet:
1. clothes
2. shoes
3. lots of bags and purses
4. my dresser
5. plastic storage totes

5 Things in my car:
1. CDs
2. umbrella
3. dumbbells
4. my black jacket that sort of doubles as a rain jacket when it is cold
5. magazines

5 Things in my purse:
1. wallet
2. keys
3. eyedrops
4. lipsticks---about 5
5. makeup bag

5 Things in my wallet:
1. debit card
2. check book
3. insurance cards
4. drivers license
5. old receipts

I am tagging:
1. Basement Queen
2. Stacie
and anybody else that reads this and wants to play along!!!

At Long Last!

I am happy to report that the Moderne Log Cabin Baby Blanket has been finished and presented as a gift to my co-worker. It received quite a gathering and all were impressed! Yea!! I am very excited to be finished with it!

I made some obvious modifications from the layout in the Mason Dixon Knitting Book. I did not add Block 10 and shortened Block 9 significantly because it was getting to be so big! (And because I was ready to be finished with it!) Since I am such a "rule follower" this was really hard for me to do, but I consulted with Maria and she felt that it was big enough as well. I forgot to measure it but I think that it is probably close to 36"x24". (I used Caron Simply Soft and size 8 needles.)

I have enough yarn left over from this blanket to perhaps make a traditonal log cabin blanket if I add another color to go along with it. What luck! I also happen to have a random skein of Simply Soft in blue! Of course I need to get to working on some Christmas projects and since I finished this "big" project I am free to start another.

My boss happened upon a yarn sale and brought me and Maria some yarn. I don't know what she is going to make with hers but I am considering this and this. The first I am going to keep for myself as I think that it is tres cute and the second I may give as a gift.

Maria is going to Memphis to pick up a co-worker of ours today and she is freaking out...Needless to say, she is not excited about this trip. Too bad she won't get to drive the van, that would probably make her feel better...

Who Could Resist?

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said 'I love you' and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights!
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly could
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking -this doesn't happen very often
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day- not really, but I have been known to make my own accent more pronounced when the need arises...as there is nothing quite like a distressed Southern Belle
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country-I was kissed by an 80 year old WWII vet in Normandy? Doesn't that count for something???
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken-we’ll see how this one turns out!
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Gone white water rafting
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents-step
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror.
96. Raised children.
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours-jetlag is a terrible thing
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone's life


wow~i'm pretty boring...

Happy August!

Yesterday I spoke of the round dishcloth that Stacie sent to me. So without further ado, here she is in all of her pink and purple glory:

I think that it is exceptionally lovely and when I get brave I am going to try the pattern out myself.

Stacie also sent me a lovely skein of Sugar & Cream in Strawberry:

Thanks again Stacie!!!

For your viewing pleasure...another dishcloth!

I wish that I had a wonderful picture of a completed Moderne Baby Blanket to share with you today. However, that is not the case as that would have required me to spend many many hours this weekend slaving over it. I slaved over nothing! I didn't want to have a pictureless post, so I knit up another dishcloth to give to my grandmother when her birthday rolls around in October. At the rate I am going, she is going to get like 20----but then she will have to use them. All part of my sinister plan to get back at her for stealing my cat, I will bury her house in dishcloths!


Once again, this pattern is from "The Best of Lily Dishcloths" as you know I love it so. I have a cone of this yarn that I won on ebay, I believe that it is Sugar n Cream Fairy Tale, and I am just going to make my dear Meme dishcloths until it runs out. I am almost out of patterns to try in "The Best of Lily Dishcloths" but I won't fret as I have many many many other dishcloth books. (Meanwhile, I just googled "The Best of Lily Dishcloths and my site comes in third!!!!)

Stacie sent me a beautiful round dishcloth that she made for me along with a skein of Sugar n Cream Strawberry! I was tres excited when I received it on Friday. I will get my act together and prepare it for a photo shoot, perhaps this evening.

Confession time: I have resolved myself to making a mitered square blanket and when the yarn store opens back up on Wednesday I will beging the hoarding of the Cotton Classic at the rate of two at a time. The thought of sewing together 80 squares is a little intimidating, so I am going to study up on the no sew method that Ann and Kay talk about.

I am about to revise and update my LIST. Should be a fun time...I'll let you know if any major changes arise. :-)

I've Been Tagged!!!

Stacie has tagged me to play along, so here goes:

Six Interesting Things About Me:

1. As of today, I have read 41 books this year.

2. I work in drug discovery where I run a liquid handling robot and maintain a repository of plant extract samples.

3. I am double jointed in all of my fingers and my right hip.

4. My natural hair color is brown (I was a blonde child) but I've highlighted it for so long that I don't remember what it looks like.

5. I can tie a cherry stem in a knot with my tongue.

6. Without glasses or contacts I am legally blind.

I am supposed to tag six bloggers but I don't know six bloggers, so if you are reading this then consider yourself tagged!!!

I hope to have a FO to post on Monday!!!

3 Dishcloths

I finally finished Block 8 on my baby blanket last night. I haven't been working on it as diligently as I should be as I've been distracted by the dishcloth. I don't know what their allure is, but I want to make them all the time. Could it be that my calling is to populate the world with cotton dishcloths???

The Nine Patch from Mason Dixon Knitting:
















This is a fabulous way to use up scraps of cotton from other projects. FABULOUS!

Dishcloth for the Cat Stealer (I love her anyway):















This is from the Best of Lily Dishcloths and I am happy to say it is INTERMEDIATE! Whoo Hoo!!! Now it did take me quite a while to finish it but that is only because I was a chicken and would only do 2 rows at a time. I am fearless now!!

Finally, the Mid-Month KAL for the yahoo group, Monthly Dishcloths:















Stacie helped me on the yarn over's for this one so they finally show up half way though. Maria says that is a dishcloth that I will likely use now that it isn't perfect! She is probably right, and I like it anyway. You can find the pattern here. I find it to be a very delightful pattern and it looks much more complicated than it actually is. Did you cable that dishcloth?? Why, yes I did!

Wednesday is Knit Wit's birthday, the BIG 3-0. I think I'll make her a dishcloth. (The shawl is on hold until Christmas, for anybody that is wondering.)

And the List Goes On

As if 27 projects weren't enough I have been looking through the archives of Knitty and found even more wonderfully fun projects that I desire to make my own!

1. Tempting
2. Tempting II
3. Shocking Pink Coif
4. Latifa
5. Party Apron

I so love the party apron, and think that every aspiring domestic diva should definitely have one. When I get around to making it in 4 or 5 years I will SO wear it!

And as for this, all I can say is Why???

Not much going on here except it is HOT HOT HOT. It is so hard to throw my blanket up in my lap and knit a few rows because I almost go into heat exhaustion. Will somebody please remind me why I got the bright idea to knit a blanket in July??? Please???

I did force myself to knit on the afore mentioned blanket last night while I was watching the tangled mess that is the Tour de France this year. Since they wouldn't let my man play this year, I am basically watching for the sheer entertainment value. Oh yeah, and to root against him...

Two more dishcloths are almost completed and once they have had their photo shoot I will post them here for your viewing pleasure.

A Beauty Modeling a Scarf

Modeling a scarf in July is not recommended, but here I am doing it anyway, for the good of the readers of my blog! This is another scarf that I have produced for The Think Pink Challenge. I have been crocheting them so that they will be finished quicker and I won't spend too much time away from my Moderne Baby Blanket. It is coming along nicely, as I am on Block 8. It is getting so big, so I don't really like to travel so much with it. Therefore, I didn't take it over to Jason's for a photo shoot last night. I am thinking that I will let the suspense build up and will post the next photo of it when it is finished. Hopefully, that won't be too much longer...

So, I broke down and placed an order with Elann.com on Friday. I am tres excited and can't wait until it arrives!!! I ordered the latest object of my affection, the Denise Interchangeable Needle Kit. I also ordered enough yarn to make two items for Christmas, 3 Birch crochet hooks, and a crochet hook sack.

Here is my scarf trying out to be the Breast Cancer Spokes-scarf:

I have another skein of this same yarn that I am going to use to make another scarf for Think Pink Challenge. I really like the way that this one turned out. I got the basic idea for the scarf from the book, Hooked On Crochet, but I didn't add the fringe or make it 72 inches long.

I'm Good at Planning...

Yes, it's true. I am a planner extraordinaire! So far I have PLANS to make 27 projects! EEK! A lot of these projects are Christmas related, but a lot of them aren't. I am ready to branch out in my skills and really want to make the following items:

1. Ballet Camisole
2. Picovoli
3. Twitterpated
4. Green Gables
5. Ms. Marigold

Aren't I ambitious!!! I have gone so far as to pick out my yarns and colors. Planning can be quite fun!!

I have not ever made a piece of clothing and I think that I might can handle a pattern labeled "intermediate" as I am feeling quite intermediate after my successful picking up of the stitches for my Modern Baby Blanket. Any encouragement would be welcomed!!!

As promised, here is a picture of the ongoing project also known as Mary Heather's version of the Moderne Baby Blanket:


I finished up Block 5 last night, so this evening I will pick up stitches for Block 6 and get going with that one. I am really happy with the way that it is turning out! HOORAY.

I am not sure who the recipient is going to be yet. I thought that I would give it to a girl in my book club who is due in September, but Jason's cycling buddy's wife is expecting so I may give it to them instead. There are many patterns that I have found for baby blankets lately that I want to try, so book clubber's baby most likely won't get left out!

On an aside, I have been lusting after this bag now for longer than I can remember. I love it! While I was yarn shopping online I also came across these and since my circular needles leave MUCH to be desired, I am now lusting after them as well.

I finished up my first scarf for The Think Pink Challenge yesterday when I went home for lunch. I think that it turned out very pretty and cozy, even if it is acrylic! I am going to make some more progress on my blanket and then I am going to get some more pink yarn and make another scarf. I'd like to make 3 all totaled. I think that I can handle that. I mean, what is another project or two when you are talking about 27...